Electron discharge device



p 1936- F, w. REYNOLDS 2,055,593

ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE Original Filed Dec. 4, 1926 //\/\/E/\/7'UF F. W REYNOLDS 5y 0 A TTUPNE Patented Sept. 29,

ELECTRON mscnsnen nmcn mama. w. nemul, Grantwood, N. 1., u-

aignor to American Telephone and Telegraph Company a corporation of New York Original application December 4. 1926, Serial No. 152,656. Divided and this application April 30,

1930, Serial No. 448.633

12 Claims. (Cl. etc-21.5)

This invention relates to electro-optical' electron discharge devices, and more particularly to means for controlling the intensity of an electronic beam employed for scanning.

This application is a division of applicant's application Serial No. 152,656, filed December 4, 1926 which issued as Patent No. 1,780,364, dated November 4, 1930.

In accordance with this invention, a Braun tube modified in two principal respects is used at the transmitter for scanning. One modification consists in substituting an auxiliary electrode of a thin transparent film of platinum or other suitable material for the usual fluorescent screen, thus forming an electrically conducting and light transmitting electrode. A second modification consists in positioning immediately in front of the auxiliary electrode, a specially constructed multiple unit photoelectric element, whose function is to control the density or power of the cathode rays or beam within the tube.

Features of this invention, as will appear from the following detailed description and the ap pended claims, are per se of general application in the arts utilizing electron discharge devices.

Figure 1 is a general schematic embodiment of a transmitting apparatus inclu ng the electro-optical device of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic drawing of a simple optical arrangement for focusing an image of an object on the transmitting tube.

The modified Braun tube III of the transmitting apparatus shown in the schematic drawing Fig. 1 consists of an enclosing glass tube having a hot cathode l I, a beam focusing anode l2, two sets of electrostatic beam deflecting or directing plates l3, l4, and I5, l6, a multiple unit photoelectric element ll comprising a large number of fine tubular units, and a light transmitting and electrically conducting auxiliary electrode l8 within the large end of the enclosing tube just in front of the element I! where the image of the picture to be transmitted is focused. The photoelectric element may be made of a large number of closely compacted relatively fine and long glass or quartz tubes, as many tubes being necessary as are desired to divide the image into elements. The tubes may be held in position with some opaque cement, such as alundum, which also serves the purpose of preventing light from being reflected from one unit into adjacent ones. A film of rubidium, potassium, or other photoactive material is deposited on the inner walls of these tubular photoelectric units. The auxiliary electrode l8 may be a light transmitting conducting film of platinum on the inner side of one end of the tube In, or on a separate transparent plate within the tube or it may be in the form of an open mesh screen of fine wires. When light impinges upon or an image of an object is focused at the ends of the photoelectric units adjacent to the auxiliary electrode, a part of the light falls upon the photoactive material within the photoelectric units. Cathode rays impressed upon the opposite end of the photoelectric units 10 in any suitable manner are modulated or have their intensity changed in passing through the photoelectric units approximately in proportion to the intensity of the light falling upon a unit of the photoelectric element through which the 2 is heated by any suitable a source of potential, such as the battery 22.

The conductor 23 permits a variable positive potential to be applied to the anode l2. The conductors 24 and 25 leading to and from the apparatus immediately connected with the tube afford a connection of variable potential from the battery 22 to the auxiliary electrode l8. When the tube is energized, the electron flow within the tube takes place from the cathode H to the auxiliary electrode l8, passing through the anode I 2 which assists in concentrating it into 4a a beam, and between the directing plates. The beam directing electrodes l3, I4, and l5, l6, upon having an electrical potential applied thereto, direct the path of the beam the same as in a standard Braun tube. It is, therefore, obvious 4,5

that by the proper application of potentials to the electrostatic directing plates, the cathode beam may be deflected to cause it to impinge on or scan any elemental area or unit of the photoelectric element l1. Magnetic deflecting means may obviously be used instead of the electrostatic means.

As the photoelectric element I'l permits the passage of cathode rays or electrons substantially in proportion to its light activation, and

consequently the current which the cathode beam can pass at any instant depends upon the illumination to which a unit in the photoelectric element I! through which it is passing is subjected, the current at any instant in the output circuit of this tube will, therefore, be substantially proportional to the illumination of an elemental area of the picture focused upon the photoelectric element of the tube.

The output circuit connects with the necessary apparatus for transmitting the photoelectric currents over any desired circuit or channel which is shown in the drawing as a radio channel. The transmitting apparatus includes such units as a modulator 30, an oscillator 3| for providing a. carrier current, a filter 32, an amplifier 33 and an antenna 34 such as is used for substantially distortionless radio transmission.

In operating the tube in an electro-optical transmitting system, the cathode beam is caused to analyze an image of the object by successively scanning the elemental areas of the photoelectric element I! under the influence of an electrostatic or magnetic field. As shown in the drawing an electrostatic field is used and proper direction of the beam is caused by applying two alternating current voltages of different frequencies and proper wave shapes to the deflecting plates l3, i4, i5 and I6 within the tube It]. The scanning beam may be made to follow a spiral path as disclosed in A. McL. Nicolson Patent No. 1,470,696, dated October 16, 1923, or a series of substantially parallel paths over a rectangular area or any other suitable way.

The arrangement shown herein of applying to the elecrostatic beam directing plates two alternating currents of different frequencies and having suitable wave shapes causes the scanning of a rectangular area in substantially parallel lines. The varying voltages are applied to the beam directing plates by means of the low and the high frequency alternators 40 and 58, respectively. These alternators are preferably of the inductor type as indicated in the drawing. The alternator 40 consists of an inductor 4i having a small number of poles and a stator 42 on which is wound the armature and field exciting coil 43. The field excitation may be supplied by any suitable source and connected in series with the source is the inductance 44 which substantially suppresses the passage of alternating current and permits the coil 43 to serve as both field and armature winding. Separate coils, however, may be used for the armature and for the field windings. The armature winding 43 is connected to the potentiometer 45 for adjusting the voltage impressed on the output circuit. Conductors 46 and 41 connect the output of the alternator 40 with the electrostatic plates l4 and I3, respectively. The alternator 50 is somewhat similar to the alternator 48 but the former is designed to generate a current of very much higher frequency. Its armature 5! has a correspondingly larger number of poles than the armature 4|. The stator 52 carries the armature and field winding 53. Field exciting current is supplied by any suitable direct current source through the choke coil 54 which prevents passage of alternating currents through the exciting circuit. The terminals of this alternator are connected to potentiometer 55 which in turn connects through the leads 56 and 51 with the electrostatic plates i6 and I5, respectively. The rotors of the two alternators are driven at a substantially uniform speed by a LaCour motor 68 aosases or other suitable means. The rotating parts are all mounted upon the common shaft 38.

The LaCour motor may be of the usual type consisting of an armature 6i and field magnets 82, 83, 64 and 65 energized by a suitable source 5 of current 66 which is intermittently applied through the contacts 81 and 88 and the contacting member 68 attached to the tuning fork II. The tuningfork 10 is operated by means of the magnet II, the battery 12, the contact 18 and the contacting member 14 attached to the tuning fork. The tuning fork causes the LaCour motor to operate at substantially constant speed as is well known in the art.

The transmitting and receiving apparatus must be operated in synchronism and in proper phase relationship and one way of accomplishing this is by means of a control circuit at the transmitting station governed by the tuning fork 10. The tuning fork is caused to modulate a carrier current generated by an oscillator 80. This may be effected by the contacts 8| and 82 associated with the tuning fork. The modulated output of the oscillator passes through a suitable filter 83 and tothe output amplifier 33 and to the antenna 34. The carrier frequencies for picture transmission and for synchronizing, as generated by the oscillators 3| and 80, respectively, are suitably chosen to avoid interference.

The alternator 50 has a frequency, for example, times greater than that of the alternator 40. This difference in frequency causes the cathode beam to alternate between the electrostatic plates l5 and I6, 100 times while one alternation occurs between the electrostatic plates i3 and I4. This results in a substantially rectilinear vibratory scanning process covering a rectangular area. However, as already stated, any other suitable movement of the cathode beam may be employed.

A schematic drawing of a simple optical system showing the object to be scanned and the analyzing end of the transmitting tube is shown in Fig. 2. It consists primarily of a lens system for focusing an image of the object at the front end of the photoelectric element H. The object 200 may be at any suitable distance and by means of the lens 2M the image of the object is focused in proper relation to the transmitting tube. The lens system may be similar to that used in a camera and any inverting or reversing of the image caused by the lens system can be corrected in the system by suitably arranging other elements of the apparatus.

The invention disclosed herein is susceptible to various modifications and adaptations without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention and it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific construction herein shown and described except as defined by the appended claims.

The term light is herein used to include not only electromagnetic waves of lengths to which the human eye is sensitive but also waves which are somewhat shorter or longer than those within the so-called visible spectrum.

What is claimed is:

1. An electron discharge device, comprising a cathode, an anode, an electron deflecting element, an auxiliary electrode, and photoelectric units in said device mounted between said deflecting element and said auxiliary electrode adapted to be luminously excited for modulating the discharge passing from the said cathode to the said auxiliary electrode in accordance with the light excitation of the said photoelectric units. 76

2. An electron discharge device comprising an electron emitting cathode, a bank of tubular impedance control elements, and means to receive electrons from said cathode controlled by said elements.

3. An electron discharge device comprising a discharge path, a plurality of impedance control elements in said path which freely emits electrons when excited by radiant energy of short wave length, and means for controlling each of said elements by such radiant energy impressed thereon independently of that received by the others.

4. An electron discharge device comprising a cathode, an anode, an electron deflecting element, an auxiliary electrode, and tubular shaped photoelectric units in said device adapted to be luminously excited for modulating the discharge passing from said cathode to the said auxiliary electrode in accordance with the light excitation of the said photoelectric units.

5. A space discharge device comprising an electron emitting cathode, an apertured anode electrically insensitive to light through the aperture of which electrons from said cathode pass, and a tubular element through which the electron discharge from said cathode through said aperture passes, the interior wall of said element being coated with material which freely emits electrons when excited by light.

6. An electron discharge device comprising an electron emitting cathode, means to receive electrons emitted from said cathode, a bank of apertured elements between said cathode and electron receiving means which elements are insulated from one another and through the apertures of which elements said received electrons pass, and electron emitting light sensitive material located on the surfaces of said elements surrounding said apertures.

7. An electron discharge device comprising an electron emitting cathode, means to receive electrons emitted from said cathode, a bank of tubes of insulating material between said cathode and electron receiving means, the received electrons passing through the insides of said tubes, and photoelectric light sensitive material located on the inside walls of said tubes.

8. An electron discharge device comprising an electron emitting cathode, means to receive electrons emitted from said cathode, a bank of tubes of insulating material between said cathode and electron receiving means, the received electrons passing through the insides of said tubes, and alkali metal located on the inside walls of said tubes.

9. An electric discharge device comprising a gas-tight receptacle, a light sensitive element therein comprising a support of insulating material carrying a large number of regularly arranged discrete portions of light sensitive material, and a second element therein spaced from said light sensitive element and in electrical cooperative relationship therewith.

10. A light sensitive electrode for an electrooptical device comprising a cellular structure of insulating material, and light sensitive material within the cells of said structure, the light sensitive material in one cell being insulated from that in the other cells by the insulating material of the structure.

11. An electron discharge devicecomprising an electron emitting cathode, a cellular structure of insulating material, light sensitive material within the cells of said structure, and means to receive electrons from said cathode controlled by said light sensitive material.

12. An electron discharge device comprising an electron emitting cathode, a light transmitting anode adapted to receive electrons emitted from said cathode, and a plurality of light sensitive impedance control elements in the paths oi. electrons that are to move in a line between the cathode and anode.

FREDERICK W. REYNOLDS. 

